Fisker Says Tesla Lawsuit "Nonsense"

Electric vehicle startup Fisker Automotive has officially responded to the lawsuit that competitor Tesla Motors has filed against it for allegedly stealing its design ideas and trade secrets. Kleiner Perkins partner and Fisker investor Ray Lane already called the lawsuit “ridiculous” at a conference this week, and the company put out a press release this afternoon calling the lawsuit “nonsense.”

Fisker disagrees and is mighty peeved — got it. In its release, Fisker says it will “vigorously defend” itself from “these meritless claims,” and alleges that Tesla actually broke an arbitration agreement by filing the suit. Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker also notes that Fisker Coachbuild has designed cars for a variety of manufacturers for which it has non-exclusive design contracts. Silicon Valley’s green car startup legal battle continues.